“Are those donkeys?” wonder guests as they mingle during the cocktail hour following Mallory and Nick Redmond’s wedding.
Yes, without a doubt, those are donkeys — beer burros, to be exact — domesticated donkeys who join weddings and other celebrations dressed in floral arrangements and saddles outfitted to help distribute drinks and laughs to guests.
“I thought it would be a good way to be super unique and something that wasn’t at just any wedding,” Mallory Redmond says. “Since my dad and my grandpa both are veterinarians, we are known as that family with random farm animals,” she says. “It was a personal connection that really describes my family.”
Guests and the bridal party were welcome to take photos with and pet the two donkeys, John Wayne and Annie Oakley, during the celebration. “They were definitely the big hit of that hour and, honestly, of the whole night,” Redmond says with a chuckle. “When I woke up the next morning, all the tagged pictures from my wedding were of all of our guests with the beer burros.”
The donkeys came courtesy of Sweet Magnolia Events, a wedding event planning company located in Austin. The beer burros have made many trips to the Brazos Valley and love to travel all over Texas. “[The burros] actually look forward to
loading up in the trailer to go to events,” Sweet Magnolia Events owner Alisha Randig says. “They are companion animals, and they always travel in pairs,” she says. “One will decide to lead and the other will follow.”
Adding beer burros to the list of things Sweet Magnolia offers wasn’t always part of the plan, Randig says. But after a coordinator at Salt Lick Events and Catering reached out to see if it was a service they would consider offering, Randig looked into the prospect. “We found John Wayne on Craigslist, and when I got to the ranch to pick him up, I fell in love with Annie as well and had to beg the rancher to sell her to me,” Randig says. “We had no idea she was pregnant at the time, and as the demand grew, so did our herd.”
The beer burros are more than just associates for Randig; they have become like family. “I had no idea when I bought the first two that I would grow to love the burros like most do their household pets,” Randig says. “They each have their own personality, which is magnified when I go out to their pens, and they all start braying when they see me.” According to Randig, burros love to be rewarded for their hard work, have adaptable personalities, are affectionate, and bond with their owners.
“They always bring smiles and excitement to events,” she says.
On top of being adorable guests and helpful waiters, the beer burros’ get-up can be customized to match the event’s theme, Randig says. “We have some clients that add fresh wreaths and floral arrangements from their florist. Others have invited them to their fiesta, so we have sombreros and Mexican blankets that they wear,” Randig says. “We can dress them up for any occasion!”
While the burros might not be the most traditional wedding guests, having John Wayne and Annie Oakley join the Redmonds at their wedding made for some extra-special memories. “Those photos we took with the burros are some of our favorite pictures from the day,” Redmond says. IN
sweetmagnoliaevents.com
